A Fate Worse Than Death
by freakanature06
Summary: What are the nations really? Personifications of their people and countries? Or maybe they're just normal people who stumbled across something bigger than themselves. Fill for the kink meme. Rated for language and later parts.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Welcome to yet another story by yours truly. XD; This is for a fill on the kink meme and is currently a work in progress, seeing as I only have a couple chapters done. Anyway, the request was that the nations are not actually nations - it's just a conspiracy and they are simply long-lived/immortal. So... this is what came to me... XD; Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING. Just sayin'...**

Prologue

_I haven't always been like this, you know._

Puffing, panting breaths filled the air, accompanied by the heavy footfalls of someone running. In the darkness, it was difficult to see the man, save for a flash of glasses in the moonlight. As he passed under a streetlight, the man looked behind him, face illuminated briefly, as if terrified that someone might be following him. Nothing was there, and he turned his head forward once more and ran at full tilt.

_Once upon a time, I was just like you. Normal. Happy to live and die as the world saw fit._

Turning a corner, the man almost ran face-first into another person standing just outside the light of the next lamp. He managed to pull himself up short and stood there, panting heavily, trying to catch his breath and seeming uncertain as to whether or not he should start running in the opposite direction.

"What are you doing here?" asked a voice in the darkness, perfectly calm.

A sigh escaped the first man and he suddenly relaxed a small amount. "Thank God, it's you."

Shrouded in darkness as this new man's face was, it was difficult to tell if he was frowning, though it certainly sounded like he was. "Yes, it's me. Answer my question, would you?"

A deep breath. "Arthur, I've just… They're not doing this for research, Arthur. Or to make the world a better place. It's bigger than that. It's for … Arthur, they're …"

_But after a time, that wasn't enough. I wanted more. And so I reached for it, hoping to create something new and beautiful for myself and my kin._

"Very good, Arthur," chimed in a third voice, stepping around the corner at a nonchalant pace. "You managed to apprehend him. I'm proud. Maybe I'll change your share of things."

The first man stiffened and turned slowly. "You…"

"You said you wouldn't do anything to him, remember!" Arthur spoke up suddenly, his voice full of apprehension. "You said you'd leave him out of your plots!"

The new figure waved a lean hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, I remember. Don't worry. I'll take good care of him while he's in my custody."

For a long moment there was silence and then a gunshot rang through the air. "Like hell you will!" The yell was barely audible in the aftermath of the gunshot, and moments later the first man was running away again, this time for his own freedom.

_But instead I created a monster._

"Oh Alfred," said the newest voice in a whisper, seemingly to himself, for Arthur was much too preoccupied with trying to find where the man had went to pay any attention. "You shouldn't know better than that." He held up a small object that flashed in the tiny sliver of light. It was the bullet that had hit him in the chest. "It takes more than that to kill one of us. But you'll pay for the pain you've caused me."

_I am so sorry…_


	2. In It Now

_A/N: I know, I know, I just uploaded the story, but I finished this chapter today and I want to upload it. Things are still gonna be really confusing, but... I hope that I can make everything clearer slowly as the story goes along. _

**Disclaimer: DO NOT OWN STILL.**

Chapter 1 - In It Now

_Three months earlier…_

Sadiq Adnan let out a wearied sigh as arguments continued in the meeting room. The façade was always tedious and he had a hard time understanding why they even kept it up. There were much more interesting ways that they could be doing this. But instead, they carefully did whatever their "bosses" thought they were doing.

Once, Gupta had tried to explain the reasoning to him. "Full cooperation is necessary," the man had said calmly. "But some of us don't remember who we are and others don't remember why we are who we are. And I'm certain that no one person has ever known the whole truth." This particular point seemed accurate to Sadiq. Despite the fact that he was one of the first few to receive the Cure, he had done so through under-handed means and so had not even been informed of anything for many years. "We need everyone," Gupta had concluded. "That much I know. And this is the only way to keep everyone together."

However, despite Gupta's reassurances that this was all necessary, Sadiq was extremely annoyed every time Alfred opened his big, fat mouth and spewed some ridiculous idea he'd probably thought of on the toilet. It was like the boy had been born without an intelligent gene in his body.

"So I had this great idea today! It came to me while I was shitting, like some sort of epiphany!" See?

"Idiot! We don't need that information!" Arthur's interruption, though somewhat well-intentioned, was just as predictable and annoying. Sadiq rubbed his mask irritatedly as an argument broke out.

And, of course, it wasn't long before the meeting had dissolved into chaos and Ludwig was yelling for order over everyone. Everything happened exactly how it always happened. The age-old bickering, the sobbing coming from Feliciano, the snoring from Sadiq's right side, where Heracles always sat (much to both of their displeasure). Sadiq wanted more than anything to yell at everyone and force them to see how immature they were all acting, but it had been a long time since he had learned how to control his outbursts and he sat in annoyed silence instead.

A slip of paper being shoved into his right hand was a sudden and unexpected break from the tedium. He looked down and managed to glimpse Heracles moving his own hand away quickly. Upon casting his glance up to the younger man's face, it looked like he was still sleeping. However, for a brief moment, Heracles opened one eye and glared at Sadiq.

Smirking, Sadiq looked down at the note he had received.

"_Your help is needed. Go to your office immediately after the meeting. Don't take forever about it, bastard."_

Obviously, Heracles had written the note, but it wasn't from him. Sadiq raised his eyes, tucking the note into his pocket silently as the meeting continued to rage on. This was the first time in a long time his help had been requested. He wondered what had sparked the sudden need.

A smirk firmly plastered on his face, Sadiq leaned back in his chair and propped his boots up on the table in front of him, suddenly having found a large amount of patience he couldn't bring himself to muster earlier. Something interesting was happening, he just knew it. And he wanted to find out what it was.

***

Sadiq took a deep breath and schooled his features into a look of indifference. It would never do for anyone to find out how nervous he could actually get around certain people. Especially the one he was about to be meeting with. Stepping into his own office, he raised his eyes to meet a pair of hazel ones and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Where's-" he started to ask, but he was quickly cut off by the other man.

"He's busy. You'll be answering to me today."

Sadiq lifted his shoulders to show that it made no difference to him, which just served to infuriate the other man who promptly threw a package at Sadiq's face.

"We have reason to believe Ivan is moving against us again." The man's words full of distaste and he seemed to be huffing haughtily as he spoke. "We need you to confirm our suspicions before we make a decision on what to do."

As he spoke, Sadiq opened the package and looked through the contents. Mostly, there were a number of pictures - all containing Ivan - and a print-out of what he had just been told. But there was also a small vial with a viscous black liquid…

The man was still talking. "Bring anything you find directly to me, but don't bring sus-"

"What the hell?" Sadiq interjected suddenly, holding up the vial. "Why the fuck did you give me this?" He was livid. What the hell were they suggesting giving him the Antidote?

Looking completely miffed that he'd been interrupted, the man waved an uncaring hand. "If you get caught. You know too much and you can still feel the pain of the torture. Consider it this way - if you have to take it and die for our cause, you'll have finally properly paid us back for stealing the Cure to begin with." He raised an eyebrow and Sadiq gritted his teeth, fist clenching around the tiny bottle in anger.

"You _will_ do this for us," the man concluded finally, slipping past Sadiq and opening the door for himself. "Or you'll find it difficult to wake up anymore." With that, he was gone and Sadiq was left trembling with rage.

"Fucking bastards," he muttered under his breath. But what could he do?

There was only one thing he could do - take the job.

***

"What did he say?"

"He didn't seem very pleased, but I think he'll do it either way. That was a little extreme though, don't you think?"

"No. It's the only way we can use him. He's been a thorn since the beginning."

"I guess you're right… Don't make a habit of this, though, okay? Geez, you're starting to act like some sort of goddamn psychopath."

"I promise. Just this once…"


End file.
